LG Eletronics Art Cool™ Premier Duct-Free Air Conditioner Review

29Aug

LG Electronics Art Cool™ Premier Duct-Free Air Conditioner

Over the last 5 or so years we've been installing more and more duct-free air conditioning systems in order to meet demanding budgets, schedules and complicated renovations. Duct-Free air conditioners (often referred to "mini-splits") have become the go to solution for lots of our customers on tight budgets and the results are often very impressive.
Duct-free air conditioners offer several key advantages over more traditional air conditioning systems including:

Cost - Duct-Free or "Mini-Split" air conditioners can be 25% to 75% cheaper than more traditional air conditioning systems.

Design Flexibility - One of the biggest benefits to duct-free systems is the flexibility of the installation. As the name implies, these systems have no duct work which means installation takes up less room for large unsightly duct work.

Quiet Operation - Duct-Free A/C units are often VERY quiet and so quiet in fact that they are almost impossible to detect under normal use.

The new Art Cool™ Premier Duct-Free System from LG Electronics incorporates all of the benefits listed above with a new, more energy efficient model that takes duct-free units to the next level. LG recently sent us their all new Art Cool™ Premier Duct-Free System Model LSN090HYV so that we could test and evaluate it in our new woodworking shop. Why test it in a shop? Well the main house and office already has full house air conditioning so we thought this was a great way to show how easy it is to renovate a space with a duct-free air conditioner.

Features and Specifications

Heating and Cooling

Revolutionary Inverter Technology

Larger Cross-Flow Fan & Enhanced Outlet - Increases Airflow by 29%

4-Way Swing Disperses Air Quickly

Ultra quiet

Stylish design

Quick and easy to install

Up to 28 SEER

Five-year warranty on parts; seven-year warranty on compressors

Inverter (Variable speed compressor)

Energy saving

R410A Refrigerant

Gold Fin™ Anti-corrosion

Self-cleaning indoor coil

Cooling/Heating/Fan mode

Jet cool/Jet heat

Chaos Wind

4-Way Auto Swing

Ultra quiet operation

Sleep mode

Dehumidifying mode

Auto restart

Auto Changeover

Built-in low ambient standard, down to 14ºF (cooling mode)

24-Hour on/off timer

Condensate sensor connection

What Is A Duct-Free Air Conditioner?

A duct-free (ductless or mini-split) air conditioner is an air conditioning system that has no duct work. The system includes a normal compressor unit that sits outside and then an air handler that gets mounted in the finish space instead of a more traditional air handler that might be in the attic. The wall mounted air handler blows cool air into the room that it's installed similar to a window air conditioner except it's not located in a window.
As you can see above our new LG system includes an outdoor compressor (shown in the photo just above) and an indoor air handler (shown in the photo of the shop above). The main power for the unit (220V) runs to the outdoor unit. The power for the interior unit is run from the outdoor unit along with the refrigerant lines.
So once the unit is installed it's very similar to having a regular A/C unit in your home minus all the duct work and huge capital investment.

Installation & Operation

As with any regular air conditioning system you'll need to hire a licensed mechanical contractor to install a duct-free system like the LG Art Cool™ Premier Duct-Free System Model LSN090HYV. Installation consists of installing the outdoor compressor unit that we previously discussed, installing a new electrical supply to it (shown ab0ve), installation of the indoor air handler, and then running drain lines and power lines from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit.
A typical installation can be done in one day with very little disruption to your home. Our installers needed about 6 hours to completely install the system and have it up and running. The placements of the interior and exterior units are the most critical decisions. Several factors should be considered:

Proximity of the outdoor unit to the indoor unit. Typical installations require the two units to be approximately 50' apart for standard electrical and coolant lines. Lines up to 75' can be used in some situations.

The most efficient and easiest installations occur when the inside unit is hung on the same "wall"as the exterior unit is located.

Proximity of the outdoor unit to the house electrical service. Power for the exterior unit requires a dedicated circuit that runs from the unit directly to the house electrical sub-panel. Keeping the distance to a minimum can help keep cost of installation low.

Once the unit is installed and tested by the mechanical contractor the system is controlled via a easy to use remote control. The remote also acts as a thermostat as it reads the room temperature and decides when to turn on and off the unit. The remote lets you set the temperature, fan speed, timer, and much more.

Efficient and Quiet Performance

One of the most common comments I get about duct-free A/C is how quiet they are. The LG Art Cool™ Premier Duct-Free Air Conditioner is extremely quiet registering only 39 dB inside and 51 dB outside. To put that in perspective a typical "window shaker" A/C runs about 60 to 70 dB. This model is so quiet you literally have to look at the moving fin in order to know it's running or stand in front of it and feel the cool breeze.
The LG Art Cool™ Premier Duct-Free Air Conditioners are extremely energy efficient. The model that I have can run at 28 SEER which is exceptional and likely the head of the pack for duct-free units. When you consider that the Government requires all A/C units to meet SEER 13, we feel as though the SEER 28 is an amazing accomplishment. In fact, many duct-free systems are working hard at making SEER 20 ratings (wiki).

Final Thoughts

Duct-Free (mini-split or ductless) Air Conditioners are making a huge splash in the construction and remodeling industry. Air conditioning once thought to be a luxury in many areas of the Country is now very attainable with the amazing performance and affordable price points. Traditional air conditioning for a Ranch Style home might range from $8,500 to $15,000 while a duct-free system might only run $2,000 to $4,500. It's clear that these new systems are putting lots of pressure on traditional A/C sales.
The LG Art Cool™ Premier Duct-Free Air Conditioners are a great option if you're considering this type of system. The units are very quiet, very efficient and best of all they do a great job cooling your home. Best of all they can be used for both new construction and renovation projects. I would highly recommend the LG Art Cool™ Premier Duct-Free Air Conditioner to anyone needing A/C in their home.
If you'd like more information about LG air conditioners or help locating a contractor to install one in your home then check out the following link: http://lg-dfs.com/contractor-locator.aspx

1 Comment Already

You’ll have to shoot a video with the unit on to show us how quiet it is. How many amps at 220V? I just read a post last week on Green Building Advisor where a builder was using 2 mini-splits to heat and cool entire homes. Amazing.

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Todd Fratzel, P.E.

I'm the Principal Engineer for a large construction company in New Hampshire. I run their design-build division that specializes in custom homes, commercial design-build projects and sub-divisions. I'm a licensed civil and structural engineer with extensive experience in civil and structural design and home construction. My hope is that I can share my experiences with green construction in the home construction, home improvement and home renovation profession with other builders and home owners. I'm also the author of Home Construction Improvement. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions, suggestions or you'd like to inquire about advertising on this site.